The Revival of a Rivalry

NORFOLK, VA – After a pair of setbacks against the Portland Pirates at Scope last weekend, the Admirals will prepare for a home-and-home weekend matchup against the Charlotte Checkers this week. The two teams last met in the regular season in 2000 as members of the ECHL.

Last weekend, the Admirals suffered a pair of defeats at the hands of the Portland Pirates, albeit one in overtime and the other in a shootout. On Friday night, Derek Whitmore clinched the game with a goal in the fifth round of the shootout, giving the visitors the 6-5 victory. The following night, the Admirals saw a two-goal lead slip away as the Pirates battled back from a 6-4 deficit and score two goals in the ten minutes of the third period. Portland's Marc-Andre Gragnani ended the game 1:05 into overtime, giving the Pirates the 7-6 victory.

This weekend's matchup consists of the first two of twelve meetings between the Admirals and the Checkers this season. The teams met twice during the pre-season, with each team winning on the opponent's home ice. The Admirals travel to Charlotte for a Friday night game. Both teams will then head to Norfolk for a Saturday evening matchup at Scope. On Saturday afternoon, the Admirals Fall Puck Crawl will take place, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Memorial Fund for Officer Victor Decker. For more information, please see below.

EAST DIVISION STANDINGSAt 5-2-0-2 (12 points), the Admirals are in third place in the American Hockey League's East Division. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-0-0-0, 16 pts.) lead the division. In second place are the Hershey Bears (6-2-0-1, 13 pts.) The Albany Devils (5-3-0-0, 10 pts.) are in a three-way tie for fourth place with the Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators (4-3-1-1, 10 pts.) In seventh place are the Charlotte Checkers (3-6-1-0, 7 pts.) followed by the Adirondack Phantoms (2-8-1-0, 5 pts.) in eighth place. Click here for the complete, up-to-the-minute AHL standings.

Norfolk has scored five or more goals in five of its first nine games (55.6%). They scored five or more goals in just 12 of 80 games (15%) during the 2009-10 season. The Admirals are now averaging an AHL-best 4.56 goals per game.

Norfolk's season goals against total increased 81.3% this weekend against Portland, going from 16 to 29 goals against after the Pirates scored 13 goals. Entering Friday's game, Norfolk's defense was ranked fourth in the AHL with an average of only 2.29 goals against. It is now ranked 23rd in defense at 3.22 goals against per game.

With an assist on Norfolk's first goal of the game, Stefano Giliati recorded his first point as an Admiral.

Norfolk will kick off the first of 12 regular season meetings against the Charlotte Checkers this weekend with games Friday in Charlotte and Saturday in Norfolk. Both the Admirals and Checkers got their start in the ECHL with the Hampton Roads Admirals claiming a 30-18-5 record from the 1993-94 through 1999-2000 seasons.

ADMIRALS PLAYER OF THE WEEKMarc-Antoine Pouliot: 2GP, 1G, 4A, 5PTS Forward Marc-Antoine Pouliot paced Norfolk with five points in a pair of games last weekend against the Portland Pirates. On Friday, he scored a power play goal and added two assists. On Saturday, he notched a pair of helpers.

Pouliot leads Norfolk with sixteen points (3G, 13A). He ranks second in the American Hockey League in points and assists. He has points in five straight games (2G, 7A) and eight of Norfolk's first nine games.

ADMIRALS FALL PUCK CRAWLFans are invited to join the Admirals and The Noblemen for the Admirals Fall Puck Crawl, on Saturday, November 6th, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. through game time. Proceeds from the Puck Crawl will be donated to the Officer Victor Decker Memorial Fund. For just $25, you will receive food and beverage discounts at participating establishments, promotional items and a ticket to the Admirals game that evening against the Charlotte Checkers. Register online at norfolkadmirals.com.

THIS WEEK ON THE ADMIRALS HOUR RADIO SHOWTune in to the Admirals Hour this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. on the new radio home of the Admirals – "The Game" 102.1-FM, 1490-AM and online at 1021TheGame.com. "The Voice of the Admirals" Pete Michaud will be joined in the studios by Admirals goaltender Cedrick Desjardins. To call in to the show, dial (757) 490-2750.

TICKETSDon’t miss a minute of Admirals action by purchasing your 2010-11 season tickets today. Affordable monthly payment plans are available for a limited time only! Stop by the Admirals’ Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com.

ON THE RADIO/INTERNETAll eighty regular season games will air live on "The Game" 102.1-FM, 1490-AM and online at 1021TheGame.com. AHL Live will also carry online video of every Admirals game on a pay-per-view or season pass basis. Fans can log in to watch, listen or get more information about AHL Live’s online audio and video features at ahllive.com.